I will follow you into the dark
by oherica
Summary: Bella goes to a party with her best friend Alice and tries to avoid Alice's older brother Edward at all costs. He's an arrogant jerk who seems to see the worst of her. What happens when Edward saves her from an unwanted suitor?
1. Bienvenidos!

**Authors note: Ok so this is my very first attempt to fanfic. Hopefully someone likes it! I'd like to thank RemyKilday for answering all of my annoying questions! Please r&r and I should have another chapter up soon.**

**BPOV**

I walked in the main doors and jumped when the slammed shut behind me. A new city, new school, all new friends. It wasn't supposed to be like this, switching schools in the middle of my senior year.

"_Bells, you'll love it! Meeting new people, making new friends. Just wait, you'll see!_" No! I didn't see. Renee didn't understand that I didn't want new friends or a new school. I didn't want to live in this hazy town with no sunshine. I missed the dry heat of Phoenix. Who would ever actually enjoy living in this craphole town anyways?

After receiving my class schedule, I headed towards my first class; Spanish. Coming from Arizona, a sate filled with Spanish speakers, I knew how to get through a conversation decently enough. When I opened the door, all eyes were on me.

"Buenos dias! Bienvenido a la clase de español. Como te llamas?"

"Bella Swan" I heard myself mumble. Freakin' great! Why do teachers always tend to single you out?

"Ah! Bella, de adonde eres?

"Phoenix" Come on, can I sit down yet lady?

"Como te gusta Forks?"

"Esta bien." I wondered how much longer of this banter I would have to endure.

"Well Bella, why don't you go ahead and have a seat over there next to Alice?"

A tiny little brunette with a pixie-like cut flashed a full smile at me.

"Hi Bella! I'm Alice! How long have you been in Forks? Do you like it so far? How different is it than Phoenix? I've never been there before." Jeeze, does this girl ever take a breath?

"Umm, I've been here for a week and it's ok. The rain takes some getting used to." Señora Lopez shot us a quick glance and we quickly quieted down. 45 minutes later the bell rang and we headed to our prospective classes.

Two Weeks later-

"Oh! Oh! Bella!" Alice was jumping up and down frantically.

"Haha what is it Alice?" This girl cracked me up. Seriously.

"Did you hear about Emmett's party?"

"Umm no? Was I supposed to?" She looked at me and sighed dramatically. Everything was such a big deal when it came to Alice Cullen.

"Bella! Come on! You've been here for two weeks now. Even you know who Emmett McCarty is."

"Ok…?"

"Bella! Not only is he captain of the wrestling team, but he's been homecoming king for the past two years!"

"Alice, who gives a shit? I don't understand why this matters?" But the more it milled around in my head, the more I started to like the idea. After two weeks of attending Forks High School, the only people I knew were Alice's friends ad I was pretty sure that they were only doing it to appease her. How someone so small could coerce people into moving mountains for her mystified me.

"Alice, who are you going with?" She whipped her head around in surprise, taking a break from putting stuff in her locker.

"You mean you actually wanna go?"

"Umm… well, I was thinking about it and I was thing it could be ok. I don't really know anyone at the school so it might actually be some fun. But Alice, you have to promise not to leave my side!"

"Haha Bella, where would I go?" Uh oh. That sounded ominous. Almost like Alice knew something that I didn't.

"Oh, and Bella, my older brother and is best friend are coming into town so you'll finally get to meet them!"

The bell rang before she could say anymore. The rest of the day and week flew by quickly wrapped in chapters that had to be read and tests that had to be taken. Friday was here before I knew it. Alice had been reminding me daily about the party that was finally tonight. We had made plans for me to get ready at her house when I made the mistake of mentioning that I didn't have anything to wear or that I didn't know what a pair of "fuck me" heels were. Seriously. Who comes up with these things? I was lucky if my socks matched in the morning!


	2. Getting Situated

**Authors note: So here's chapter 2. I realize that these chapters are short and will hopefully get longer in the future. Is it good? Bad? Let me know**

**p.s. These are just my words and I'm borrowing SM's characters.**

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**I pulled up to Dr. and Mrs. Cullen's house around 6 that evening and sat in my truck taking in my surroundings. Who the fuck are these people? The house was unbelievable. Two stories of solid glass surrounded by the dense Washington forest. It was truly beautiful. Attached to the house was a 3, no 4-car garage. Seriously. Can they adopt me? I could only imagine what kind of cars they kept inside. Alice already drove a bright yellow Porsche that probably cost more than what my life was worth. I looked down at the steering wheel and said words of apology to Lucy. My truck had been with me for the past two years and held lots of great memories. She had chugged along with me on the drive from Arizona to Washington. That in its self was a miracle. Ok Bella. Snap out of it. They probably think that you're some creeper sitting in their driveway for 15 minutes. Grudgingly I made my way out of the car and up the cobblestone pathway. These people had a freaking water fountain in their front yard! Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the front door only for Alice to open it as I was swinging my hand back down.

"Bella! I'm so excited you're here. This is going to be so much fun! I told my mom and dad about tonight at they said you could just stay the night if you wanted."

"Um, maybe? I would need to call Charlie and ask him first. I told him I would be home by 11."

"11! Bella, we won't even be leaving till' like 10:30. No one shows up before 10. Plus my parents said we didn't have a curfew since my brother is going with us."

"Alice, why would a college sophomore want to go to high school party?" Did anyone else find that a little awkward?

"Well it's kind of a reunion of sorts for the boys. Edward, Jasper and Emmett grew up together. Even though Emmett is two years younger, they've always been inseparable. Plus Emmett's older sister has an on/off thing with my brother." I guess that made sense. After getting Charlie's approval for spending the night we headed upstairs to prepare. I felt sort of guilty for lying to Charlie. Well I didn't technically lie; I really was spending the night at the Cullen house. I just forgot to mention the time change. Charlie was a bit over protective so I figured what he didn't know wouldn't really hurt him.

I started to freak out a little bit when Alice opened her bedroom door. Clothes were strewn about every flat surface. She went into her closet and disappeared. I mean come on! How many clothes can a girl have? Clearly when it came to Alice I was mistaken.

"Hey Alice do you mind if I get something to drink really quick?" She told me to just head downstairs and have-at whatever was in the refrigerator. Grabbing a bottle of water I slowly took in my surroundings. I was standing in the kitchen of Dr. Cullen's house in Forks, Washington. How was in that just a month ago I had been in Phoenix with Renee and Phil? I had dreaded this move and couldn't believe that I was actually starting to enjoy myself. Not that I would ever tell Renee that. My over emotional mother would go into a tailspin if she knew that I, Bella Swan was actually enjoying myself. Although I must say that most of the credit went to Alice. If it wasn't for her, I could honestly say that I would have been happy blending into the background. Alone. Counting the days until graduation. Charlie had been pretty great too. I knew he didn't entirely know how to do the whole father-daughter thing, but he was doing great so far. He left me alone when I wanted it and made sure he was home for dinner, as much a work would allow.

Snapping back into reality I made my way back up the stairs towards Alice's room. When I hit the top stairs, I looked around in confusion. Crap. Which door was Alice's? There were three doors down each hallway to the left and right. I think I came down the right? I went to the first door only to find it was a linen closet. Next. I went to the next door and went to open it.

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Dun dun dun… what's behind door number 3?**


	3. Looking like a million bucks

**Authors note: Chapter 3 Yay. So I got three chapters out in one night. Maybe ill even get out the 4th. Please R&R. This is my first attempt at writing so feedback is always good whether it be good or bad. Thanks!**

**p.s. not mine

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"Oomph" I ran straight into a rock, or at least that's what it felt like. I stumbled back slightly trying to keep myself upright.

"Whoa there. Who are you?" A rough voice come out from the rock in front of me.

"Ohmygosh! I'm so sorry! I just got lost and couldn't find Alice's room and I'm so so so sorry!" I could feel the heat seeping into my cheeks and spreading down my neck. I had managed to keep my chronic clumsiness to myself for two whole weeks and it had just gone up in flames.

"Haha it's cool. But once again I'm afraid I must ask, who are you?" Slowly raising my head I was staring into the most gorgeous green eyes I'd ever seen.

"Oh! Um…BellaSwan." I'd been caught staring. Good job Bella. How did I manage to get myself into these situations? I heard laughing coming from behind green eyes. A blonde curly haired kid was sitting on the floor with a video game controller in his hands. He was just as pretty as the boy standing in front of me. Did they manufacture ridiculous looking teenagers in Forks?

"Edward! I think you're scaring the poor girl. Either that or you've shocked her into silence." They both started laughing and I felt my face redden even more. They were laughing at me. Things never change. Quickly spinning on my heel I walked the other way and found Alice as she stuck her head out of her door.

"There you are! I thought you got lost or something."

"Umm… haha yeah you could say that." I lifted the water bottle in my hands, showing her that I had in fact made it downstairs.

"Well come on! We don't have very much time left! Ooh Bella, you're gonna look great tonight. Just wait!" I swallowed deeply and let Alice work her magic.

Two hours later, Alice took a step back from me. She started giggling and a feeling of dread started to set in. I was going to kill her. I didn't know why I let her talk me into this. I was always going to be plain Bella Swan. No amount of makeup or hair product would change that. I started to doubt everything and was just going to tell Alice that I wasn't feeling well and needed to go home. Slowly turning around, I was surprised at the girl who stared back at me. Alice turned my normally limp straight hair into a mess of curls, added mascara to my lashes and eyeliner to make my already big eyes even bigger. I looked…pretty.

"Ohh! Bella you look hott! Just wait till' all the guys see you tonight!"

"Boys? What boys Alice? I can't even get through a normal sentence with you and you want me to talk to boys?"

"Calm down. Maybe this is exactly what you needed, a little jumpstart on the confidence. But go look in my closet and find something to wear while I finish getting myself ready." After shifting through all her clothes that were laid out on the bed, I finally decided on a denim skirt and a striped off the shoulder sweater top.

"Bella that looks great! And here, I think that you should wear these shoes!" She handed over a pair of "fuck me" peep toe heels in black suede. They even had a little bow at the front. How did she expect me to walk in these things? I could barley walk in a straight line while barefoot. Slipping the shoes on, I couldn't help but appreciate the way my legs looked in the skirt and heels. Maybe Alice was actually on to something. Glancing down at my watch I noticed it was already 9:15.

"Hey Bella, will you go downstairs and grab me a Sprite?" Taking a deep breath I headed down the stairs in these death traps they call shoes. Entering the kitchen, I came across a woman and man sitting at the kitchen table. I stumbled a little as I walked in, surprised to see anyone in the kitchen. They both turned their heads to look at me with smiles on their faces.

"You must be Bella." A woman I'm assuming to be Ms. Cullen stood to give me a hug.

"Alice has told us so much about you! We're so excited to finally meet you."

"Oh. Umm. Good things I hope?"

"Oh but of course! How do you like Forks so far? Hopefully everyone has been very welcoming?"

"Yes Bella, how is Chief Swan enjoying your presence in Forks?" Dr. Cullen asked.

"It's been good so far. I think my dad and I are adjusting to living with one another for the first time in 15 years. So it's been a slight challenge. And Alice has been really great. She made the transition pretty easy. But if it's ok, I was just going to grab Alice a soda."

"Sure, just make sure that you all are careful tonight and don't let Alice talk you into doing anything crazy."

Turning to leave the kitchen I plowed straight into statue boy. AGAIN.

"Slow down Speed racer. You're starting to make a habit out of this."


	4. Brand new shoes

**Authors note: The shoes mentioned in this chapter are posted in my profile if you wanna see. I actually own them and I love them. Also, I know this chapter is pretty short but I've already started on chapter 5.  
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**P.s. not mine

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EPOV

Jesus who was this girl? Alice had never brought girls like this home when I used to live here. Aside from her obvious clumsiness, something about her intrigued me. But what had Alice done to her? Gone were her jeans and t-shirt she had been wearing before. In the place of her Converse, she now had on the hottest pair of heels I'd ever seen on a girl. Wow Cullen, you're starting to sound like a fuckin' creeper.

"What happened to you? You look like a slut." Fuck. Did I just say that out loud? A look of sheer hurt flashed across her face and before I could say anything to apologize she turned to leave the room.

"Edward Cullen! How dare you say that to that sweet girl! She's your sisters friend and I raised you better than that!" I rubber the back of my neck and smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry. It just sort of came out. I'll go apologize right now. I swear. I followed suit and left the kitchen and headed up the stairs. I really needed to control these bouts of word vomit. I'd suffered from it all of my life and it had a tendency to get me into a ton of trouble. Jazz thought it was hil-fucking-arious.

As I approached Alice's room I could hear the girls talking through the cracked door. Oh god. Did I make her cry?

"Bells, I'm so sorry. I'm sure he didn't mean it! He's just an asshole sometimes." Ouch. Way to stick up for me sis, although I guess I did deserve it.

"But-bu-but Alice! I don't even know him! He was looking at me like he hated me."

"Come on Bells, don't let him ruin your night. You looking fucking hott and we're going to find you a boy tonight!" Both girls fell into a fit of giggles and it left me feeling slightly angry. Whoa. Wait. Why the hell was I getting jealous? I didn't even know this girl. Granted she was cute, very different than all the other girls I usually went for. But come on Cullen, she's in high school. Snap out of it. She's just another girl, Alice's friend even.

Walking back into my room I glanced over at Jasper with a smile.

"Dude what is it? You're sort of creeping me out."

"I'm getting laid tonight."

"Yes! Cullen is back! I thought you were gonna be mopey forever. Fuck Tanya man, she isn't even worth it and I was wondering when I was going to get my best friend back."

"Jesus Jasper, are we having a moment?"

"Shut the fuck up. You know it's true. You've been all emo and shit recently. So who's going to be the lucky girl?"

"I'm not sure yet. Rosalie has been blowin' my phone up since we got into town so if it comes down to it…" Anything to get my mind off the brunette down the hall.

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**Comments? Thoughts? Should I continue?**


	5. Jagermeister

**Authors note: I'm watching Tough Love couples edition while I write this. Remind me to not go on a reality TV show.**

**P.s. Not mine. But the Lindor Truffles I'm eating are mine.**

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**BPOV**

Three beers and a shot of Jager later, my head was spinning. I needed to sit down somewhere. Anywhere. I was going to kill Alice, as soon as I could find her. She promised that she would stay by my side the entire night, yet every time I would finally find her, she would shove another beer in my hand and disappear again. I wasn't a heavy drinker, never had been. Sure in Phoenix I had my group of friends that I hung out with, but partying had never been my thing.

I was honestly trying to enjoy myself but he was like a magnet and I couldn't stop looking at him. The moment we had walked in, Rosalie was stuck to him like glue. He had one arm around her waist and a beer in the other hand. I couldn't help but stare. Of course two beautiful people were meant to be with each other. They were standing with a group of people that included Emmett and his girl of the night, Jessica Stanley. Alice was still nowhere to be found and I needed another drink.

Once I made it into the kitchen I was able to get Mike to refill my cup. Although I had to repeatedly remind him that this didn't mean that he got to sleep with me. It was a freaking beer that he didn't even pay for. Idiot.

"Where's Alice?" I looked up in surprise. I hardly expected him to speak to me after everything that was said back at his house.

"Umm… I honestly have no idea. I haven't seen her in like 20 minutes." A look of worry flashed across his face, so I was quick to add,

"I'm sure she's fine Edward. Knowing Alice she's probably off somewhere fixing her makeup." Rosalie walked into the kitchen and quickly slid up next to Edward.

"Hey baby, where did you disappear to?"

Wanting to distance myself, I quickly downed the cup in my hand and got another refill. This made it drink 4? 5? I couldn't quite remember. I walked into the living room and leaned against the wall under the staircase. This night wasn't turning out at all like I had planned. Tonight was supposed to about my night and instead I was drunk and split between worrying about Alice and thinking about Edward.

I felt a hand on my lower back and quickly spun around. Chocolate brown eyes and russet colored skin greeted me.

"Hey baby, I've never seen you at any of these parties before." Little alarms were sounding in my head, but in my alcohol-induced state, I chose to ignore them. Crap. His lips were moving and I wasn't listening.

"Yeah, I live over on the reservation. The name's Paul. What's your name cutie?" Normally guys like this repulsed me. But didn't Alice tell me that I needed to loosen up?

"Bella Swan." Oh my God. Did I just giggle? Did that really just come out of my mouth?

"Well Bella Swan, it's kind of loud in here. How about we go somewhere a bit quieter?" The alarms were back, this time ringing in loud and clear. Before I could answer his question, he took hold of my hand and started leading me up the stairs.

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**Come on Bella, be a little smarter.**


	6. Champagne Supernova

**Authors note: So I mention Dr. Pepper in this chapter. Is Dr. Pepper a southern thing? Or is it big everywhere? Because people drink it here like It's water.**

**P.s. Not mine. But the dust bunnies under my bed are.**

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**EPOV**

The three of us were back together again for the first time in almost 6 months. Sure I went to school with Jasper and we lived together, but it was different when the three of us were all in the same place. Growing up, Jasper, Emmett and I were nothing but trouble for our parents. Poor Alice, we terrorized her so much, not to say that she didn't deserve it. She was a terror on her own even though everyone always thought she was a little angel.

College was great so far, but coming home to Esme's cooking was the best. She knew I was surviving off of Ramen noodles, Hot Pockets and Dr. Pepper. Coming home let me get away from the stress of school and heartbreak. The entire first semester of my sophomore year of college I dated a junior named Tanya Denali. She was beautiful and outgoing and we hit it off instantly. She listened to the same music as me and laughed at my lame jokes. She was really into school, which was a turn on for a nerd like me. 2 weeks ago I found her in bed with a member of the UW lacrosse team. In my apartment. I was bitter and angry, but most of all I was upset. I had finally found someone I thought I could trust and she ended up screwing me over.

Coming home for this short break had a calming effect over me. But now I was stuck with Rosalie. Rosie and I had an agreement of sorts. We would hook up when one or the other was lonely. There were no strings attached and we both liked it that way. Tonight would be no different. But if I chose to be honest with myself I may have been using her as a shield tonight. I couldn't stop staring at Bella across the room. I couldn't stop staring at her legs, hey hair, her face. What was it about this girl?

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed some guy talking to Bella. Well no shit Sherlock. Of course someone would want to talk to her. It's what I should of done in the first place instead of being a douche. _Wonderwall _was playing in the background when I noticed them heading up the stairs. My stomach clenched tightly in an unfamiliar way. She was allowed to talk to whomever she wanted. Maybe she really was a slut. I didn't know this girl from the stranger next to me. But something told me I was wrong. She was too quite. Too innocent. I really needed to talk to Alice about this. But where was she?

Heading outside to the back patio, I asked Emmett if he knew where Alice was and of course he didn't. Where the hell was she? Esme and Carlisle would kill me if I ever let anything happen to their baby.

"Edward, why don't we head upstairs for a little while? It's getting really loud down here." Rosalie was asking me for exactly what I had wanted earlier in the day. Only now I was preoccupied with Bella and wondering where the fuck Alice had disappeared to.

"Rosie, not now. I need to find Alice."

"Babe, she's a big girl. I'm sure she's fine." Grabbing my hand she led me up the same stairs Bella had gone up not even 15 minutes before.

Opening the door to Rosalie's room, I was greeted with something that would be burned in my mind for a long while. Alice was straddling my best friend in Rosalie's bed. They were making out and didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon.

"Alice Elizabeth Cullen! What the fuck do you think you are doing?" Jumping up in shock, Alice looked at me on the verge of tears.

"Edward! Let me explain!" By this point I was seething. I had to get out of here before I killed him. My best friend and my sister.

"Edward…"

"Fuck you Japer. She's my little sister!" I still couldn't wrap my mind around it. I thought Jasper was dating some girl back at school. It set my teeth on edge when he stepped in front of her, as if I would ever hurt her.

"We wanted to tell you. Well I really wanted to tell you but Alice wanted to wait. We know how you get and we wanted to make sure this was going somewhere before telling anyone."

"Whoa, wait. How long has this been going on?"

"4 months"

"4 months! You've been fucking my sister for 4 months and never found the decency to tell me about?"

"Screw you Edward. You know it's not like that. I know you're upset and saying things you don't mean." Taking a step forward Alice reached her hand towards me.

"Edward, please don't be mad at Jasper. He really wanted to tell you but it was my decision not to."

Rosalie was holing onto my hand still from when we first entered the room. Alice and Jasper were intently staring at me and I couldn't get my head to stop spinning. I needed to desperately to get out of here. I spun on my heel and walked out of the room. I needed some water to splash on my face and a quite place to think. Heading for the bathroom I noticed a line waiting outside and quickly made a detour into Emmett's room. He wouldn't mind if I chilled in his room for a while. This night couldn't get any worse.

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**Poor Edward. He's all confused and his sister is hooking up with his best friend. Next chapter will be bellxpaul and Edward swooping in like superman. or whatever superhero you prefer. It should be up either later today or tomorrow.**


	7. Salvation is here

**Authors note: So I have like 30 people following this story and only 4 reviews. It makes me slightly sad. Is it ok so far? Anything you would like to happen or not happen? Also I' like to give big kudos to authors with chapters that are like 4000 words. It's hard work but I'll get there eventually.**

**P.S. SM owns the characters. I own the stuffed elephant I bought at IKEA last night.**

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**BPOV**

I heard a loud commotion down the hall from Emmett's room. It sounded like Alice but I couldn't be sure with the pounding of the music coming from downstairs. When Paul led me upstairs I wasn't sure what to expect. I wasn't naïve enough to think that we would just be playing scrabble or twister. He seemed nice enough and was giving me attention unlike the other guys at Forks High School. I'd been in school for 3 weeks and aside from Mike Newton propositioning me in the lunch line at school, had yet to meet a nice enough guy. I couldn't wait to get out of this crappy town and move to Austin. That was my dream, to move to Austin and go to the University of Texas. I had visited Austin with Renee and Phil one weekend when we had to travel for one of Phil's business endeavors. I had fallen in love with the city the second we entered the city limits. The music scene was amazing and I loved the quirkiness of it all. UT was my first choice school and I was just waiting for my response from them. God forbid I would have to stay in Washington although I'm sure Charlie would love it.

I felt a little awkward being in Emmett's room. I wouldn't want some stranger in my room but Paul wasn't having any of it. He said that Emmett wouldn't mind. Apparently they were good friends?

"So Bella, tell me a little bit about yourself."

"Umm… I'm actually pretty boring. There's not much to say."

"Aww come on. There's gotta be something about you," He said as he sat a little closer.

"It's pretty warm in here. Why don't you take your jacket off and get a little more comfy?" Feeling slightly uncomfortable with the whole situation but not seeing a problem with it, I complied. He slid a little closer invading my personal bubble.

"Uh, well, I just moved here to Forks from Phoenix. I'm liking it so far."

"Oh really, that's cool." He reached his hand up and slipped a piece of hair behind my ear.

"So um… how do you know Emmett?"

"Oh, I don't really know him. I just tagged along with some friends when I heard about the party."

"But I thought you said you were really good friends! You said he wouldn't mind if we were in his room."

"Shh, it's ok," he said as he leaned in and kissed me. I pulled away instantly and looked up at him.

"Hey umm… why don't we head back to the party? I'm sure that everyone is missing us right now."

"Come on, it's ok. We're just having some fun. You know you want it, or else you wouldn't of come up here with me."

"That's not true! I don't know why I came up with you. I'm too drunk for this, I need to go." Apparently these were the wrong words.

"Come on Bella, just go with it. I promise you'll like it." He slid his hand around my neck and pulled me forward. His hot breath was on my face and he smelled of cigarette smoke and beer. It made my stomach stir in apprehension.

"Paul let me go. I just want to go back to the party. Come on, please."

"No. Let's just stay up here for a little while longer." Getting frustrated with the fact that he wasn't listening, I slowly stood up trying to gain my balance to leave the room. Taking hold of my hand he roughly pulled me back down onto the bed.

"I said NO!" He yelled as he pushed me onto my back and crawled on top of me. It was like a bad horror movie. I could see everything as it was happening through Emmett's dresser mirror. He grasped my hands above my head and roughly put his lips against my neck as he made his way across to my shoulder. I was thrashing around and begging him to just let me go, that we could go back to the party and pretend that nothing had ever happened. He let go of my hands long enough to rip Alice's sweater off of my body only to pick them right back up. I could feel his hand circling my knee and moving up to my thigh.

"Please! Paul don't do this! Please!" I was crying under him. He was so heavy and I couldn't breath. Why was this happening to me?

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**EPOV**

Getting closer to Emmett's room I could've sworn that I heard someone yelling but couldn't be sure with the loud thumping throughout the house. Pushing open his door I flipped on the light and was instantly enraged. Bella was underneath the same guy from downstairs only she wasn't enjoying it. Instantly I was at their side and was pulling him off of her by the neck of his t-shirt. I think I caught him by surprise at the fact that he came up easily and fell backwards.

"Bella! Are you ok?"

"Hey man, who the fuck are you?" This fucker had the audacity to ask me a question. I was going to kill him. I was going to rip his throat out. Lunging forward I grasped him by the neck and swung my fist forward into the side of his face. I swung again and this time caught his nose. I think I broke it. There was blood everywhere. Emmett was going to kill me. Better yet Ms. McCarty was going to kill Emmett when he had to explain the party he threw during their absence.

All of the sudden there were people everywhere in the hallway and Alice was making her way into the bedroom. Jasper was yelling for Rosalie to go downstairs and get Emmett. I think I would've kept hitting him if Jasper hadn't grabbed him and pulled him out of the room. Emmett was suddenly bounding down the stairs towards the scene and helped Jasper contain the douche bag. Going back into the room made my heart break. Bella was sitting on the bed crying huge sobs as Alice tried to hug her. She was clutching a pillow to her chest and I could see red bruises on her neck from where the bastard had marked her. Walking over to the bed I got down on one knee in front of her and tried to keep my composure.

"Bella honey, I think we need to get you checked out at the hospital. You've got some bruises on your arms and I just want to make sure you're ok." She started crying even harder at this point. I knew that we were going to have to call the cops and I didn't even want to think about how hard it was going to be for her to tell Charlie.

"Edward, what if we took her home with us and let Carlisle look at her. I mean think about how bad it would look if we took the chief of police's daughter to the hospital looking like this," Alice asked as she turned to look at Bella.

"Bella, are you ok with this?" She nodded her head while not saying a word. I turned to look at the rest of the room and noticed it was filled with random bystanders. Alice noticed my line of sight and was suddenly up working her magic. In no time at all the room was empty except for Rosalie and us. Noticing Bella was still clutching the pillow to her chest I reached and pulled the shirt off my back and handed it to her. I turned around to give her privacy so she could cover herself up.

"She's decent Edward." Turning back around I tentatively took a step closer towards her. I just wanted to make everything better. I hated him for doing this to her and pissed off at myself for not stopping it before they ever made it up the stairs. I didn't know what to say or do to make her stop crying. I shot Alice a nervous glance that was clearly saying 'what do we do now?' It wasn't everyday that we were in this situation and she had yet to say a word.

"Bella, is it ok if we head home now? We can call Carlisle on the way home and let him know what happened. Is it ok if Edward picks you up?" She slowly nodded her head in agreement and I took the final step forward. I put my arms under her legs and let her wrap her arms around my neck. She put her neck against my chest and continued her silent crying. I just wanted to get her back to Carlisle and make sure she was ok.

"Thank you for saving me Edward." I gave her a curt nod and headed down the stairs. I wasn't going to let anything happen to her again. I swore it.

* * *

**Thoughts? Comments?**


	8. They Sparkle!

**Authors note: So I realize I suck and I haven't updated in years. I guess I was just stuck and didn't know which way to turn this story. I felt like maybe I should've ended it with the last chapter but I guess I'm going to try and continue this. I'm also working on another story that I'm going to try and have up by next week.**

**P.s. Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and I own these ooc.**

BPOV

It had been a week, the worst week of my short life. When we had gotten back to the Cullen house, Carlisle, Esme, and Charlie were all waiting up for us. Alice had called her parents to warn them that we were heading home and short details about what had happened. I'm guessing they called Charlie to meet us there. I think the look of disappointment on Charlie's face was the hardest to bear. Followed by the anger he felt towards Paul. Edward and Charlie wanted me to press charges but I just wanted to forget everything that happened. I would be leaving this small town soon enough and would be able to put all of this behind me. I wanted to go home and take a shower and go to sleep. All I could think about was how close I had come to being raped and how Edward had saved me. Charlie couldn't stop saying 'thank you' and expressing is gratitude towards the teenage boy sitting to my right. I couldn't say anything. My throat was dry from yelling and my head hurt from all of the crying. Turing to look at Charlie, I realized how grateful I was to have him by my side. He had taken my hand and was being strong for me. I knew he was mad and angry and the cop in him wanted to take action but right now he was just being my father. Had Renee been here, she would have been filled with theatrics and crying. She would've made the entire situation that much worse.

"Daddy, can we go home?" Charlie looked up at me in surprise. I think all the stress of the night reverted me into being a kid again and the safety my father provided. I think the last time I referred to Charlie as anything other than 'Charlie' was when I was 8 years old and begging Renee to return back to Washington.

* * *

One week was enough to change the short time I had been here in Forks. All the progress I had made seemed to be for nothing. People were talking about me behind my back, saying I deserved what I got. Who deserved this? I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Luckily, Charlie let me stay home from school after my second day back. I came home crying and he couldn't seem to make me go back to the gossip filled halls. Alice was sweet enough to bring my assignments home so that I would be able to keep up with my work. I just wasn't strong enough to put on a brave front and face people yet. I wanted to be able to just blend in and disappear.

It had been 7 days since the attack and 7 days since I had seen or heard from Edward. I knew he had to return to school, but it hurt to know that he had left before even saying anything to me. I knew I was just some random girl, his little sisters friend, but he saved my life and I would be forever indebted to him. I didn't know how to mention it to Alice without her becoming suspicious of my intentions, but Alice being Alice figured it out on her own.

"I think he's coming back up here next weekend. Which is weird for him since he rarely comes to visit. Saving those occasions for holidays and stuff. I know the parents are excited."

"That's nice Alice. I'm sure Esme will be excited to see him again so soon." I was trying to sound indifferent. Was it working? I don't think Alice was buying it.

"Oh! Bella, I forgot to mention, Jazz is coming into town tonight and I think we're going to catch a movie in Port Angeles. You should totally come with us!" She was sifting through my closet as if miraculously a new wardrobe would appear in place of my jeans and t-shirts.

"Alice, come on. I don't want to be the third wheel with my best friend and her boyfriend."

"Bells it won't be like that. You know that I would never invite you along and just leave you out. Come on. Pleaseeeee! You haven't left this house in almost a week. It's time to get some fresh air. And we're going out of the city so we wont run into anyone we know. We might even see if Emmett wants to come. Just some friends going out together."

"So I take it Edward's ok with you and jazz?"

"Ha! Hardly! Jazz said that Edward hasn't even been coming home and if he does, he's gone early again the next morning. The only reason I know he's coming home next weekend is because mom told me. He isn't taking any of my phone calls and is ignoring my text messages. You would think I killed his puppy instead of dating his best friend. What's the big deal anyways? You would think he would be happy about it."

"Alice, have you thought that maybe he doesn't like it because he's worried about what would happen if y'all break up? He would have to choose between his little sister and his best friend. That's not the greatest place to be. Before you start preaching, I'm not saying that you and Jasper aren't going to make it, but think about it from his point of view. It also doesn't help that you lied about it for months and he had to find out about it the way he did. Imagine how he felt."

"Jeeze Bella, I thought you were supposed to be on my side. When did you go all 'noble one' on me?"

"Shut up Alice. You're my best friend and I love you, but I just had to tell you my thoughts on the situation. I'm not taking anyone's side. I think Jasper is good for you and your crazy self."

"Aww thanks Bells. I know I'm being difficult, it's just that I really miss Edward and I hate that I've put Jasper in this situation. He wanted to tell Edward a long time ago and it was my choice to leave him out of the loop. If Edward should be mad at anyone it should be me. I feel like ive broken up their bromance."

"Look at you Alice, being all understanding. What are you going to do to try and fix this?"

"I don't know Bells, I don't know."

* * *

Alice ended up getting me out of the house that night, of course I grumbled the entire time. Charlie was a bit apprehensive, but Jasper promised Charlie that I would be under his and Emmett's watchful eyes the entire night. I felt bad that I was putting my dad under so much stress and it didn't help that he was just feeling responsible for everything. I told him it was stupid and there's nothing he would've been able to do but he just wouldn't listen. But with one bat of Alice's long eyelashes and Jasper's southern smile, Charlie ushered us out the door with a threat to Jasper's life if I came home with a hair out of place. Emmett ended up meeting up with us in Port Angeles because he wanted to have his own car 'incase he met a hot babe' and needed to find his own way home. Is this really how guys thought about things? It had always been tough for me to talk to guys, so when someone like Emmett talked about all of his hook-ups I couldn't help but feel awkward and partially be in awe.

Walking out of the movie, we all cracked up at the face that Emmett was making.

"Come on guys! I feel like my man card was just stripped. If you guys would of told me this is what we were coming to see I would have never come. Sparkly vampires, really?"

"Well duh! I'm not stupid Em. I knew exactly what I was saying to trick you into coming along." Emmett shot Alice the dirtiest look ever and then ruined it when he started laughing along with everyone else. Soon after, Alice let out a loud squeal when Emmett started chasing her around the now deserted parking lot, leaving Jasper and I alone.

"'So if you don't mine me asking, how are you really doing Bella? I mean if you aren't comfortable talking to me about it, it's completely ok."

"No it's ok Jasper, I'm hanging in there. I'm going back to school on Monday and I'm just afraid I guess. Afraid of what everyone is going to say. I know it sounds stupid but it's amazing the awful things that people can say about you. I mean they don't even know me!"

"I'm so sorry Bella. Really I am. I wish that I were there to help or stick up for you in some way. I know that high school sucks, but just think that you will be graduating in just a few months and then it will all be over. You wont be seeing these people ever again. Also, just stick close to Alice and Emmett and they wont let anything or anyone hurt you. Allie may be tiny but she's fierce. She stands up for the people she cares about and you're her best friend. It's one of the things I love about her."

"Thanks a lot. That means a lot to me. I'm just grateful for Edward and everything he did. It's not so much that I care what these people think about me, I just hate being in the spotlight and having everyone's attention on me. I'm sure there are much more important things that people could be talking about."

"Haha Bella, these kids will get over it and move on to the next big thing that I'm sure will happen this weekend. Just try and not worry about it for the time being. Just have fun with us for the rest of the night." We quickly turned around to see Alice perched up on Emmett's shoulders as he spun her around quickly.

"McCarty! Put her down before she pukes! You're not the one that's gonna have to clean it up!" I started laughing at this point. Jasper was running behind Emmett as Alice hung on for dear life. God sometimes I really did love my life.

* * *

**A/N: Yay or Nay? Next chapter will have the return of Superward.**


	9. Yay! Cookies!

Authors note:

**update: I have been trying to update this chapter for over a week now and it would just never let me. I was being shown an 'error' message every time. Come to find out I just needed to re-accept the guidelines. My bad.**

First of all, I AM SOOOO SORRY! My life has been crazy these last few weeks. March is filled with tons of birthdays and important days. (Including my own) But without further wait, this is Superward's POV on the night that changed everything and the days following. Maybe we get a little insight to how he thinks and feels towards Bella.

P.S. I don't own twilight, just some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

* * *

**EPOV**

She was shaking in my arms as Jasper drove us home that night. I could feel the hiccups overtake her body as she silently cried into my beating chest. My anger levels kept rising as I thought back to all of the appalling things that could have happened if I would of showed up just a little while later. But I didn't, and I had saved her. Although I felt that I couldn't really take the credit for that. Even if I had step in a little early I knew that the scars would be there forever. She would always second-guess guys and would never trust easily. It made me sad that this asshole took something from her, if even just her trust in humanity. Sometimes I felt as if fate played tricks on me. Maybe it was God, but I never knew. The one person I had tried to stay away from all night ended up needing me the most. This small girl in my arms deserved so much more than all of this.

I knew that we would have to talk to our parents that night and explain everything. They understood that Jasper and I were in college and did stupid things when we were away from parental view. However the fact that we had let Alice's friend get into any danger was our faults. Well I guess it was really my fault since Jasper had been slightly preoccupied. With my sister. I still wasn't over it but rather than getting even angrier I decided I would deal with them later.

When we walked into my house that night I knew that I would have to put her down soon, but I was just too afraid. I didn't want to ever let go, the fear that something else might damage her already fragile state. However Charlie didn't really give me a choice in the matter. He took his daughter immediately into his arms to cradle her close. The chief had always been a little domineering and frightening, but right now he was just a father hurting for his daughter. He was upset that he hadn't been there to protect her and I knew the fear I felt for her was greatly intensified in his eyes.

The adults made us all go into the family room so that we could go over the events that took place over the course of the night. Carlisle and Esme sat side by side on the love-seat and held hands. Meanwhile Bella sat carefully wedged in between her father and I while Alice started rambling. She started telling the night's tale from the beginning and never stopped to take a breath, although I wasn't really paying attention. I was too focused on the quivering body perched next to me. I was all too aware of how her breath would hitch slightly when she tried to calm herself down. How she was slightly leaning into my body as if I could provide shelter from harm. I couldn't even imagine the horrible thoughts that were racing through her head right now.

I didn't understand what was causing me to feel such intense feelings towards Bella. In all honesty it scared me. Here was this random girl whom I had just met and I already felt so incredibly connected to her. I wasn't such a callous bastard that I wouldn't try and help anyone else in the same situation, but when I saw that it was Bella under his prying hands I completely lost it. How dare he put his hands on her body or his mouth on her lips. They were now deep red in color as if he had purposely bruised them for everyone to see. She still had my button down on top of her torn shirt but I knew that there were slight bruises along the ridge of her neck as well. I knew that this disheveled version of Bella would haunt me in my dreams.

I had been so completely wrapped up in my anger and thoughts that I had missed Alice's explanation come to an end. Besides my insistence that Bella should press charges I had stayed silent through the entire explanation. There were just too many ideas and scenarios running through my head. All of the sudden I was being jostled slightly and Charlie was reaching a hand out to help Bella stand up from the couch. He then reached out his unoccupied hand to shake mine in gratitude.

"Edward, I will never be able to repay you for saving my little girl tonight. If you hadn't of been there…" he trailed off not wanting to finish the sentence. I just shook my head in confirmation and let him know that I was glad that I was able to help. When Bella tried to remove my shirt from her shoulders I stopped her before the first button was undone.

"Keep it for now! You can always give it back to me next time we see each other. Or you can always give it Alice when you're done with it." I flashed her a quick semi-smile to reassure her. I was lucky if she would ever want to see me again. Before the nights turn of events I had been nothing but a complete asshole towards her and just because I saved her from that monster didn't mean that she wanted anything to do me. I knew that I would be returning to campus on Sunday and that I probably wouldn't be seeing her before then. My stomach dropped and I hated feeling alone all of the sudden. I didn't like the thought of not seeing her again. I didn't understand this control that she had over me or why I had such strong feelings for her, especially at such an inopportune time.

* * *

Sure enough I wasn't able to see Bella before I departed for school. I quickly submerged myself into my studies and tried to spend the least amount of time at the apartment I shared with Jasper. After Bella had left our house that night, I had quickly excused myself to my room and stayed holed up until we headed back to campus. Jasper had continuously tried to talk to me and Alice had been blowing up my phone for a week now. I just needed time to figure everything out. I just felt slightly betrayed that they had hidden this huge secret from me for over 4 months. Besides that, I was still harboring issues with what had transpired with Bella. In reality I was just trying to keep myself as busy as possible so that I didn't have time to sit around and think about how my life had changed in 1 night.

I wondered how she was holding up. I didn't want to give in and ask Alice seeing as how I was still slightly angry with her. Luckily I got my answer a few days later.

*Knock, Knock, Knock*

"Edward? Hellooo? C'mon man, I know you're in there. I heard you come in this morning. Edward! Stop! You can't just keep ignoring us like we don't exist. You know we didn't do anything to intentionally hurt you and yet you're making it seem like we killed your puppy."

Silence.

"You have a package from Bellaaa…." The door quickly swung open and I snatched the letter from Jasper's hands. Slamming the door shut, I quickly walked over to my bed and sat with my back up against the headboard. Popping open the top of the cardboard box, I instantly reached for the letter that was sitting on top.

_**Dear Edward,**_

_**I truly don't know how to say thank you. As I sit here and write you this letter I know that there aren't enough words to express my gratitude. You saved my life. I know that you feel guilty, like there was something that you could've done, but don't. It wasn't your fault and it wasn't my fault either. Sometimes we don't have answers to everything and we don't know why people do the things that they do. If anything this past week has taught me that I can't live in the past and need to start taking small steps forward. Alice also mentioned that you are still ignoring her and Jasper and I wish that you wouldn't. I know that you are feeling hurt and betrayed but you of all people know that neither one of them would ever purposely hurt you. They love you and truthfully, Alice is driving me crazy **__**Please answer the girl's phone call.**_

_**I hope that you aren't angry that I sent you this letter. I reached out to Esme and told her that I wanted to send you a thank you of sorts and asked her for some ideas. I really hope you don't mind. She mentioned that you love oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and so I decided to make you some. Although I am a complete klutz and can't even walk in a straight line, I can proudly say that I am an awesome cook! **__– _This made me laugh a little. Even in the short time that I had been around Bella, I had noticed how clumsy she was. At the mention of cookies, I looked down into the cardboard package and opened up the metal tin inside. Sure enough there were 2-dozen cookies nestled in between sheets of tissue paper. Popping one in my mouth I went back to Bella's letter. **– **_**Charlie let me take a week off from school because people were just being so mean. I just don't understand it. Times like this make me want to count down the hours until I am away from all the pettiness that comes with high school. Sometimes I feel like my life should be a reality show. Luckily your sister was there to bring me my assignments and stuff. And Friday night I went out with Alice, Jasper, and Emmett. We went to see that new movie in Port Angeles. You know, the one about the vampires. I thought Emmett was going to kill us afterwards haha. He started yelling something about his man-card. It was just really nice to get out of my house and feel like a normal person. **_

**I'm not really sure why I'm even telling you all of this. You probably didn't even want to hear from me after everything that happened. But like I already said, I just wanted to say thank you for everything that you did for me that night. Also enclosed is the shirt you let me borrow. But don't worry; I washed it so it's clean.**

_**Edward, I will never be able to wholly apologize the way I'd like to. So until I see you again, all I can say is thank you. Also if at all possible, please keep this between the two of us. I'd really rather Alice not make a big deal out of this. I know she mentioned something about you coming into town soon and if you'd let me, I'd like to be able to talk you to dinner. I think Charlie might even join. He asked me to mention it. If this is all weird to you I completely understand. I guess I will stop rambling now. Hope your classes are going well. Give Jasper a hello for me.**_

_**XoXo**_

_**Bella**_

Taking the folded shirt from under the metal tin, I brought it up to my face. It smelled of clean spring air and what I could remember of Bella's hair. I smiled in realization. She said she wanted to see me again.

* * *

A/N: Hopefully this gave you access into Edwards mind. Did y'all like his POV or should I just stick to Bella's?


	10. You Go, Glen Coco!

**A/N : So first I just want to say thanks for being so patient. I don't get a lot of time to work on my story so that is why my updates are so random and far apart. But i'm going to try really hard to work on the next chapter. A lot of people really liked having Edwards POV so I may continue with that later on. I honestly have no idea how long this story will end up being because I'm a little lost with which direction I'm going to take it and I'm also trying to work on another story that's been swirling around in my head. Too-doo-loo.**

* * *

**BPOV**

I never mentioned the package and letter I sent to Edward, to Alice. I know that she's my best friend and I would normally tell her everything, but for some reason I just wanted to keep this specific fact a secret. Mostly I knew she would start hopping around like a jackrabbit on crack and possibly even start hyperventilating on me. How Jasper dealt with her was his problem. So while this secret communication with him was small, it was still something special to me. At first I hadn't wanted to send his ratty flannel shirt back. I slept in it the first few nights I had it, simply because if I tucked my head into my shoulder or brought the bottom up to my face, I was engulfed in the scent of Edward Cullen. His scent always took me back to that night but in a different way than I originally thought it would. Instead of being scared or upset, it reminded me of how safe I had felt on the car ride back to the Cullen house. The tender way Edward had taken care of me. But I also realized that he probably deserved better than some lovesick teenager stalking his scent. So ultimately I made the decision to send his shirt back to him.

The Cullen's had been a godsend through this whole ordeal. Esme didn't try to smother me or push me, rather just let me know that if I needed anything or anyone to talk to, that she was there for me. Like a normal mother would be. Dr. Cullen kept small tabs on me and was constantly reassuring Charlie that I was in fact ok and would just need some time to process and sort through everything on my own time, however he would recommend someone to speak to professionally in a heartbeat. With Rene being so far away and Charlie being wrapped up in work (apparently there had been some bear attacks in the woods recently) I needed that aspect of family more than ever. Our quiet dinners every night just weren't enough.

I had eventually asked Esme what Edward's favorite cookie was so that I could send him a sort-of thank you. She didn't pry or force me into answering all of the questions I knew she was bursting with. She simply just gave me a knowing smile and replied with "chocolate chip." I had mailed Edward his shirt and package the very next morning after an intense battle with Charlie's ancient oven.

* * *

School was starting to get easier because people stopped staring so much. I think mostly due to the fact that Lauren and Tyler were caught naked in the backseat of his car at the La Push High football game on Friday night. Charlie got the pleasure of putting them in the back of his cruiser and giving them a ticket for public indecency. Oh how I would have loved to be a fly on the wall at Lauren's house when Charlie explained to Pastor Mallory that his sweet and innocent daughter was caught screwing in the backseat of a car. Rumors started swirling around that Lauren and her family had visited St. Mary's, a private boarding school for girls, in Seattle the following day. Tyler and Lauren seemed to be a lot more popular and exciting to talk about than plain Bella Swan, which was totally fine by me. I tried my hardest to feel bad when I saw Lauren walking down the halls but couldn't when I remembered that she was putting on a one-woman show blaming me for what had happened the night of the party. Insinuating that I was a slut was now hilarious since I now knew what she did when no one was looking.

"BELLAAA" Dropping my books onto the floor I quickly spun around in alarm and slammed my head into my locker door, instantly bringing tears of pain into my tear ducts. Emmett quickly bent down to pick up my books and deposited them back into my empty arms.

"Oh Bells! I'm sorry! I seem to forget how easily you injure yourself."

"So funny Alice. Screeching my name at a decibel I'm sure even dogs can hear would scare pretty much anyone."

"Ha Ha, Good one Swan!" Emmett started laughing as he reached out his hand to give me a solid fist-pump like he was another cast member of the Jersey Shore. Alice sent Emmett a scowl and turned her back to him.

"Anywayssssss, like I was about to say before you tried to give yourself a concussion, I was thinking about heading up to Seattle to surprise Jasper this weekend since we have Monday off and was wondering if you would want to road trip up there with us?"

"First of all, who is us? And second of all, when did you come up with this **cough**brilliant**cough** idea? I mean, I saw you this morning and you didn't mention anything about it."

"Well Ms. Swan, it wouldn't be an amazing road trip without Emmett here," she said while putting an arm around him. She had obviously gotten over the fist-pumping incident of only a few seconds before. "And then of course you and I."

"Ha! Alice you're out of your fucking mind if you think that Charlie is going to let me go anywhere."

"Oh Bells, how little faith you have in my wonderful powers of persuasion. Because if I remember correctly, wasn't it I who convinced the Chief into letting you go to Port A with us?"

"Yeah Alice, Port A is a lot different than take a road trip 3 ½ hours away." This girl was out of her ever-loving mind. Charlie would probably laugh in my face if I even mentioned it to him. He had enforced a strict policy of "No social life for Bella." Besides going to the Cullen household, I was told that I was allowed to go to the Forks Public library, the Rez to visit Jacob and Billy, and home. But let's get serious; I would probably never go back to the reservation because I knew that Paul lived there. Charlie didn't want to take any more chances with my safety, therefore putting me under house arrest. Before we could even talk about it anymore, the warning bell went off letting us know that we had 60 seconds to make it to class.

Wandering into my English class I reached into my pocket to pull out my vibrating cell phone.

'Don't worry Bells, I'll tke care of evrythng. Just hve ur bags packed & ready 2 leave Friday after school.'

* * *

When Charlie got home later that night, I was just finishing up with dinner. We weren't very formal in the Swan household, seeing as how dad had 4 plates, 4 cups and 4 sets of silverware. God forbid we had more than 4 people in the house or we would be eating with our hands. However it was kind of nice I guess, that Charlie made sure that he was always home for dinner. He would have to return to work afterwards sometimes, but always made it home so that I wouldn't have to eat alone. I think it had something to do with me telling him about the random diets and health kicks Rene would always be on. I would usually just end up cooking for myself and eating alone in my bedroom.

We ate in silence, words not being necessary to enjoy dinner. I wasn't at all surprised when Charlie stood up when he was finished and deposited his dirty dish into the sink. He walked over to the door and proceeded to put his jacket back on. It seemed like he was never home anymore with all of the random bear attacks going on in the woods between forks and the Rez. He shot me a sympathetic smile, reminded me to lock the door behind him, and told me he would be home by breakfast before heading back out into the drizzling rain.

I spent the rest of the night listening to music off my iPod, which had been a gift from my mom's last boyfriend who had been trying to get into my good graces. It didn't work. It would take more than an iPod to get over his bad breath and horrible Hawaiian-print button downs. I had some bio and history homework but wasn't really in the mood to mess with it. I knew that I would be able to finish it all during tomorrow's homeroom. Therefore I spent the rest of the evening singing along with Mumford and Sons and reading into the lives of Heathcliff and Catherine. Wuthering Heights had been and probably would always be my favorite novel.

The next few days had been repeats of the previous days and nights. If I weren't such a laidback person, I would probably wither away from boredom. Alice reminded me constantly that I lived the life of a slug. Personally I enjoyed it. Charlie made it home every night this week except for Tuesday because there had been another body found, this time closer to the coastline. He had stayed late at the office finishing up paperwork and hadn't come in until way after midnight. Surprisingly, Alice hadn't really mentioned anything about the trip for the rest of the week. This was huge since we were talking about the girl that could write a 10k word essay about what she ate for breakfast, let alone driving to surprise her long-distance college boyfriend. I was thinking that maybe Emmett had talked some sense into her for once. Not that I didn't want to go! Jasper was actually really nice once you got to know him. He would message me on Facebook every once and a while when he had some questions about gifts or ideas pertaining to Alice. And although Emmett and I weren't the best of friends, we got along really great and had way too much fun picking on the shortest of the bunch. It really would have been fun and I was slightly bummed that I wasn't going to be going with them. I knew that this would be a great bonding experience for us-Who was I kidding? I really wanted to go so that I could possibly see Edward while I was there. I would be playing stupid if I tried to convince myself otherwise. I never heard anything back from him as to whether or not he received my package, but I never got the package with a 'return to sender sticker' back either. That had to mean something, right?

The door closing shut quickly brought me back to reality and I realized the pot I had been stirring was about to overflow. Daydreaming about Edward had caused me to almost burn the pasta for tonight's dinner. I really needed to get a grip.

"Hey kiddo, sorry I'm home so late tonight." Charlie said while putting his gun holster and jacket on the coat wrack. This caused me to snort just a bit.

"Haha Dad it's not a problem. Seriously, it's 6:30. Charlie Swan was home 30 minutes late! Alert the media."

"Hey, it's Chief Swan to you. Makes me sound a little more important." He said making a silly face at me. Times like these made me absolutely adore my father.

"Well _Chief Swan_, I was actually running a little late on dinner because I had to work on a project for school. It should be done here in about 20 minutes. That should give you just enough time to jump in the shower if you'd like." Dipping a finger in the pasta sauce that was cooling on the stove and bringing it to his mouth, I quickly bumped my hip into his and playfully scolded him.

"You're gonna ruin your dinner!"

"Ha ha Bells, sometimes you really crack me up. Shouldn't I be the one that is telling you no desert until after dinner or something?"

"Very funny. You have 18 minutes and counting." I returned with a smile. It didn't take anything after that before he was bounding up the stairs towards the shower. Turning at the top of the stairs he quickly called down to me.

"Oh and Bells, I forgot to mention, Billy and Jacob are going to be stopping by after dinner to catch the game. Hope you don't mind."

"17 minutes…"

Not too long after dinner was over, there was a knock on the back door. Dad quickly tore himself away from the TV, just long enough to open the door and let the Blacks in.

"Hey guys, the game just started. Bells, do you think that you could grab Billy and me a beer please?"

Quickly heading over to the fridge I grabbed 2 beers for the dads and handed them over. Jake and I hastily went upstairs to watch a movie and hang out before Charlie roped us into joining them. Neither of us were really into baseball and always just let the guys do their thing. Jake and I had been friends since we were born seeing as Dad and Billy had grown up in Forks together. These sports nights were a regular occurrence in the Swan household.

"How are you holding up Bells? I know we haven't really had the chance to talk all that much recently, but I wasn't sure if you would even want to talk about it."

"Jake I'm fine."

"Say swear?" At this I started cracking up. It had always been an inside joke between us to make sure that we weren't lying. You had to say swear as a sort of promise.

"I swear Jake. Honestly, I'm really ok."

"Yeah I don't know if Charlie's told you or not? Or maybe he doesn't even know…" Jake trailed off, deep in thought.

"Spit it out!"

"Paul is in jail. I wasn't sure if you knew about it or not."

"Oh." Thoughts were swarming around in my head. That night came rushing back into my thoughts full force. All of the negative feelings were flashing in the front of my mind. However, like recently, all of my thoughts turned to Edward.

"Yeah, not that anyone is really all that surprised. Apparently he ended up getting really drunk in Port A last week. When the cops went to give him a ticket for public intoxication, he started to assault one of the officers. They arrested him on the spot. They also found coke on him. Needless to say, you wont be running into him anytime soon."

"Can we talk about something else please? Jake I just want a normal night. Can we pleaseee watch Mean Girls?"

"Haha only cause I love you."

The rest of the night progressed fairly normal. We watched our movie and the dads never once bothered us. I gave Jake some cookies that I had made the night before and we joked around while watching Regina George prance around in pink. The Blacks left not too long after 11 that night and I was ready for Friday. I needed a break from school and everyone in it. Right before I headed to sleep I went downstairs to grab something to drink and ran straight into Charlie. I told him about what Jacob and I had talked about and he informed me that he already knew.

"I just didn't really know how to mention it to you Bella. I feel like we walk on egg shells around here and I didn't want to upset you anymore."

"It's ok. Thanks for always watching out for me dad."

"Oh and Bells, I completely forgot to remind you to please, please, please be careful tomorrow. I know that you wont do anything stupid and I trust you, I just don't know how I would handle it if anything bad were to happen. Without you, I would be all alone in the world, well besides Billy and Jacob. Who would cook me dinner?" he said cracking a small smile at the end.

"Huh?"

"Yeah, Alice stopped by the station earlier and told me about the trip. While I'm not completely convinced that this is the best idea, I trust you Bells and I have to realize that you're growing up. Plus I think that it is really responsible that y'all are going down there to check out the campus. I wish that I could go too, but duty calls," he said as he finished heading up the stairs towards his room.

"Oh, um- yeah. Really responsible!" my head was swarming in confusion. College campus? What had Alice told him?

* * *

The following morning I met up with Emmett and Alice in the front courtyard of the school. She was grinning ear to ear and looked like a pixie on crack. Excited was obviously an understatement for this girl.

"Ahh! I'm so freaking excited about this guys! We're going to have so much fun. I've already created a road trip playlist and my bag is packed with snacks just for you Em."

"Haha only you Alice."

"What? I'm serious. This trip is going to be so much fun. I figure we can meet right here when we all get out of class. Bella you brought your bag with you right?"

"Yeah, lemme just grab it and stick it in your trunk." I said as I started walking back towards my car. I quickly deposited my bag into the trunk of Emmett's Jeep. Obviously we wouldn't be taking Alice's car seeing as her Porsche could only fit two people.

The rest of the day went by excruciatingly slow. All I could think about was the possibility of seeing Edward again. Did he look the same? Did he even remember me? Was I just someone that he had helped and never really thought about again? I had completely forgot to ask Alice where we would be staying during the duration of this trip.

The early release bell for seniors finally sounded at 1:15. I quickly way my way down the hall and towards the meeting spot Alice and designated. I passed Lauren on the way and couldn't help but snicker as I walked past her. And to think, this girl once intimidated me. Heading over to Emmett's obnoxiously large Jeep I couldn't help but laugh at Alice's pure enthusiasm.

"Let's go bitches!" was the last thing she said as we cranked up her playlist and exited the parking lot.

* * *

**A/N: No, this is not going to involve vampire Edward or the wolf pack. I just felt like mentioning the bear attacks because it's a plausible story as to why Charlie's gone all of the time.**


End file.
